Garrett Epps (born 1950) is an American legal scholar, novelist, and journalist. He was professor of law at the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt consists of four colleges in applied arts and sciences, Robert G. Merrick School of Bu ...

until his retirement in June 2020; previously he was the Orlando J. and Marian H. Hollis Professor of Law at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

Biography

Epps attended St. Christopher's School and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

, where he was president of ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...

''. He later received an M.A. degree in Creative Writing from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

, and a J.D. degree from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, where he was first in his class. After graduation from Harvard, he was a cofounder of ''The Richmond Mercury'', a short-lived alternative weekly whose alumni include

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning journalists

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born June 2, 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is ...

and Glenn Frankel. He also worked as an editor or reporter for The ''Richmond Afro-American'', ''The Virginia Churchman'', '' The Free-Lance Star'', and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. From 1983 until 1988, he was a columnist for

Independent Weekly ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Re ...

(then a bi-weekly). Immediately before moving to the University of Oregon, he spent a year clerking for Judge John D. Butzner of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...

. Epps has written two novels, including '' The Shad Treatment'', which won the Lillian Smith Book Award, as well as the nonfiction books '' To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial'', which was published in 2001 and was a finalist for the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

's Silver Gavel Award, and '' Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Civil Rights in Post-Civil War America'', which was published in 2006. ''Democracy Reborn'' won the 2007 Oregon Book Award for non-fiction, and was a finalist for the ABA Silver Gavel Award. He has also written numerous articles and editorials in newspapers including the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

''. In his article "The Founders' Great Mistake", he urged America to amend its Constitution to more closely resemble a parliamentary system.

Books

*'' The Shad Treatment'' (1977) *'' The Floating Island: A Tale of Washington'' (1985) *'' To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial'' (2001) *'' Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Civil Rights in Post-Civil War America'' (2006) *'' Peyote vs the State: Religious Freedom on Trial'' (2009) *'' Wrong and Dangerous: Ten Right-Wing Myths About Our Constitution'' (2012) *American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Garrett American legal scholars American scholars of constitutional law American legal writers The Harvard Crimson people University of Baltimore faculty University of Oregon faculty 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers American male novelists Duke University School of Law alumni Harvard College alumni Hollins University alumni Lawyers from Richmond, Virginia Writers from Richmond, Virginia Journalists from Virginia Novelists from Virginia Novelists from Maryland Novelists from Oregon 1950 births Living people